The Sacred Flame

“The Faith” is the dominant religion throughout the continent. Most humans are adherents to the Faith or raised within its influence, though how strongly they hold their convictions varies greatly. Also known as the Divine Light, its teachings and beliefs are tightly woven into the social and political fabric of Caspia, Elyria, Westemär, and their neighboring domains.

Symbols

A goblet of fire or a lit candle represents the Sacred Flame in holy symbols. The holy text of the faith is called the Song of Fire. Saint Tarna is typically depicted as a silver-haired warrior bearing a longsword. She is often shown in battle against demons, sorcerers, and witches, sometimes astride her griffon, Aarak.

Chapels and Holy Sites

In Caspia, Elyria, Westemär, and the Eastern Vales, most towns have at least one chapel devoted to the Sacred Flame. Often at the heart of their communities, these domed sanctuaries are built around a hallowed brazier set alight with a golden continual flame. It is considered a grave omen if a chapel’s flame goes out. Major cathedrals to the Sacred Flame are found in large cities, and many are brilliant architectural wonders in their own right, decorated with painted murals, stained-glass windows, and statues depicting the saints and martyrs. Such buildings house impressive altars with stone basins, and use magical oils to fuel their impressive central flames which endlessly burn day and night. In addition to this major cathedral, bigger towns and cities usually have one chapel for every five hundred people who reside there. The small shrines in most villages are usually simple bonfire pits decorated with stone slabs. Such shrines are the largest worship buildings found dedicated to the Sacred Flame in the Isles of Skye, Terene, and Netherwind.

Rites and Worship

During rites of worship the Faith’s believers join hands in a circle around a roaring fire and sing hymns. Flamekeepers and their acolytes lead these gatherings, calling or reciting passages from scripture, and the faithful respond as a chorus. Larger congregations will stand to form several concentric rings around massive bonfires or the great braziers which burn in the chapels and cathedrals of the Sacred Flame. Many rituals are held at sunset, so the sight of a burning fire as the sun sets against the night can remind worshipers of how the Sacred Flame holds darkness at bay. These nightly rituals conclude with worshipers lighting candles or small lanterns from the central brazier as they depart home, which symbolize the hope all must carry within themselves. Most worshipers plan a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Lumen at least once in their lives.It is custom to cremate the dead. Rather than cemeteries, which are typically rare, the faithful create a crematory garden with scattering plots near most chapels, usually watched over by statues of Saint Tarna and other martyrs. Ashes and bone fragments are gathered and kept in an ossuary beneath a church or cathedral. Skulls are typically preserved so that Flamekeepers may commune with the dead when needed. However, followers of the Sacred Flame believe that the bodies of clerics and paladins should be preserved after their deaths, should the spirits of these noble warriors need their earthly bodies again. As such, many cathedrals and chapels lie atop large catacombs where the remains of these holy figures are kept.

Passages from the Song of Fire

“And so Saint Tarna spoke, raising her blade before the throng

‘Let evil flee before righteousness; let the innocent live in peace.

Let the day come when none need fear or live in ignorance. For

that day, I give my life gladly.’”

“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of

Sacred Flame. The world is lighted by it. It’s warmth spreads

everywhere, and burns in every righteous heart.”

“Michael said unto Tarna, as the moon rose over the Pale Teeth.

Act with Truth in all things, to do so is to Follow the Flame."

“Then Gabriella spoke with her angelic countenance. “Act with

Compassion in all things; to do so is to Keep the Flame."

“Together the angels stood, and sang together: Act with

Righteousness in all things; to do so is to Spread the Flame."

“All is but ashes in the dust when the last ember dies.”

“The Divine Light of the Sacred Fire reveals the Way through

the Shadow of Death.”

Divine Origins

Myths about the Sacred Flame have ancient roots, but the contemporary religion began a thousand years ago with the valiant Saint Tarna. Today, the story of Saint Tarna is told and retold through religious texts, poetry, songs, and depicted in statues and paintings. Everyone living in the continent has heard some version of the tale. During the twilight of the Arcane Empire, a wicked woman known as Tarna the Terror served Sorcerer-King Ulban V. Although most of her life she was a vicious warlord and dark champion who led brutal wars and indulged in wanton vices, a glimmer of light flickered within her dark heart. She slew Ulban rather than carry out his genocidal will though she knew it would mean her own life. Ulban’s heir, Xandor XIII, banished her to the pits of the Dungeons of Nox to fight and die against his monstrous pets for his entertainment. Though grievously wounded several times over, none of Xandor’s monstrosities could slay Tarna, and she escaped his dungeon.
Tarna fled south, seeking refuge in the Witherbleach Desert. There she believed the hidden ancient druids of the Old Gods might tend her injuries. She searched for days and nights for them to no avail. Finally, as she lay dying upon the cracked and dry earth, Tarna saw a golden comet streaking through the night sky. Embolden by faith, she pressed on in spite of her wounds. She followed the comet to a sacred place deep in the Pale Tooth Mountains. There, she met the archangels Gabriella and Michael, who healed her body and shared with her many sacred Chapter 1: The World Of Drakkenheim 17 truths. The Angels told her that she had been chosen, and that despite the darkness she had spread through the world, she would be reborn as an instrument of the Sacred Flame. In her, all mortals would know that light may still shine through the darkest night, and that no one is beyond redemption. Swearing a sacred oath to tear down darkness and injustice before the angels, she was imbued with the Divine Light of the Sacred Flame. That night, she became the First Paladin.
Taking up the mantle of warlord once more, but this time for the cause of righteousness, Tarna fought for twelve years against Sorcerer-King Xandor XIII. She taught others to wield the Divine Light, and they became paladins and clerics in turn. Eventually, Tarna gave her life to defeat an arch-demon summoned by Xandor XIII. Her catastrophic sacrifice set forth a burst of holy power which banished the demon and the Spire of Nox along with it.
After Tarna’s death, one of her esoteric followers known only to history as the Mystic Theurge penned the Song of Fire, the first holy text of a new religion. Meanwhile, the sorcerer-kings tried to suppress the burgeoning faith the First Paladin inspired, but met their match in the divine might of the new clerics, monks, and paladins of the Sacred Flame. Preaching a message of hope, redemption, and justice for the oppressed, the Sacred Flame set alight a wave of rebellions and revolutions which dispelled the darkness of the Arcane Empire.
The faith spread like wildfire to all corners of the continent. As the empire fractured into disparate realms around the third century, the burgeoning faith began to organize into a formal religion. The first Divine Matriarch was chosen to lead the Flamekeepers. These women would be the custodians of Tarna’s legacy, charged with leading the faithful for generations to come. The clergy laid its roots in the City of Nox, transforming the wretched metropolis into Lumen, City of Light, the holy capital of the Sacred Flame. Today, faith in the Sacred Flame unites the great nations of the continent.

Tenets of Faith

Faithful of the Sacred Flame do not worship a god; devotees pray for guidance from a transcendent divine force which they believe is the source of all light and goodness. Symbolized as the Sacred Flame, this brilliant beacon inspires mortals to act with benevolence, honor, and righteousness. The religion brings a message of dutiful hope: even the smallest flame may light the way through the darkest night. The core tenets of the religion are conceptualized as follows:

• The Hearth spreads compassion. One must nourish the hungry, offer shelter from the cold, and give succor to those who suffer. Spiritual warmth glows brightly when the community is gathered together before the Flame as neighbors
• The Lantern illuminates the way of truth. The light reveals what is hidden by darkness, and shows the way to understanding. One should not silence truth, nor speak falsehoods.
• The Torch displays the duty of all faithful to uphold the cause of justice. One cannot abide when evil stirs; nor stand idle when corruption spreads: callousness and indifference permit selfishness, greed, and hate to multiply.
• The Candle symbolizes hope and redemption. Show those who are in darkness the light. Offer mercy to the guilty; no shadow is absolute so long as a flickering flame remains.

Followers of the Sacred Flame believe that the universe emerged through the separation of light and shadow in equal measure, out of which came the elements which formed the world. They teach that mortals struggle to be righteous because they are incomplete beings of light and shadow. When mortals die, their souls pass into the Shadowlands and wander until their spirits become whole — either light or shadow. The religion claims the Sacred Flame guides the soul to the place where dawn breaks over the Shadowlands. There, their spirits join the Divine Light. This congregation of brilliant souls is a beacon of hope and compassion for all mortals. Manifest in the sun and stars, the Divine Light drives back the chaos and darkness of the cosmos and allows future life to flourish.
However, spirits heavy with sin, guilt, regret, and hate do not follow the light. These souls are drawn into the most terrible place in the Shadowlands, the Abyss. There, they become demons who spread darkness. As so many mortals have failed to follow the Divine Light, gradually shadows and demons have darkened this world. After all, a roaring flame shines through the night only so long as it has fuel to burn. Nothing is needed for the shadows to reign save the absence of light. The light must be sustained lest the universe fall to shadow unending.
The faith does not have an open-minded view toward other religions, and teaches that the Old Gods are not divine. Instead, the official doctrine of the faith describes these beings as primeval demons, pointing to the web of associations between these so-called gods, fiendish creatures, and wicked fey. Followers of the Sacred Flame typically believe people who keep the Old Gods are misguided at best, and dangerous cultists at worst.

Priesthood

The clergy of the Faith of the Sacred Flame is tightly organized:

Flamekeepers

Ordained priests of the Sacred Flame are known as Flamekeepers. These clerics of the Sacred Flame are predominantlywomen; they wear flowing vestments of white, yellow,  and gold. Flamekeepers take vows of poverty, eschewing all personal possessions and living on the commonwealth of the faith. Most chapels of the Sacred Flame are ministered by a Flamekeeper.
In the past century, some Flamekeepers have started accepting tithes of coin in exchange for their divine spellcasting services. Ostensibly, the funds are used to support their communities and provide a modest lifestyle for the clergy. However, this matter has become increasingly controversial, since Saint Tarna gave her divine blessings freely to any who sought her out in earnest need. Detractors argue the practice makes the ministry no different from the mercantile mages of the Amethyst Academy.

High Flamekeeper

A High Flamekeeper is appointed to lead congregations in major cities, or train new Flamekeepers in monasteries. Others are assigned to knightly orders, noble houses, and other holy missions of great importance. This rank is only bestowed to devout clerics of the Sacred Flame who can cast spells of 5th level or higher, and who have served as Flamekeepers for at least ten years.
At any given time, one third of the High Flamekeepers remain in Lumen, forming a group known as the Inner Flame. The Inner Flame is responsible for managing the administrative functions of the church as a whole, and appoints both High Flamekeepers and Flamekeepers to their positions. The positions are constantly shifting in response to the different callings of individual clerics.

Acolytes

Those with aptitude to cast divine spells may join the clergy as acolytes. Many gather in remote monasteries to practice and meditate on their divine spellcasting abilities. Once they can master orisons and 1st-level divine spells, they are sent to assist other Flamekeepers in chapels and cathedrals. Once they demonstrate the ability to cast the spells bless and continual flame, an acolyte must complete a special test involving a pilgrimage to Lumen and weeks of fasting. Then they rise into the rank of Flamekeeper.

Pyre Priests

While most Flamekeepers are women, anyone capable of casting divine spells can join the clergy as a Pyre Priest. These ministers may have great influence and renown within the clergy, but can never be nominated to higher office. They serve many important functions as dignitaries, guardians, scribes, and aiding religious rites.

Lay Ministry

Smaller villages rely on lay ministers to keep their shrines, lead rites and prayers, and teach the faith, but these individuals rarely have actual divine spellcasting powers.

Divine Matriarch

The highest authority amongst the priesthood of the Sacred Flame is the Divine Matriarch, who tends the Saint Tarna’s Cathedral located within the holy city of Lumen. The current Divine Matriarch is Mercy V. She has held the position for two decades since the assassination of her predecessor, Courage XI. She is described in detail in the gazetteer entry for Elyria. The Divine Matriarch is chosen by the Circle of Flame, a synod consisting of 139 High Flamekeepers drawn from every major city on the continent. Once confirmed by the synod, the Divine Matriarch serves their term for life, and take up a new name representing one of the virtues of Saint Tarna, such as Justice, Humility, Truth, Charity, and Faith.

Clerics of the Sacred Flame

Through deep spiritual discipline and steadfast devotion, some faithful may become living vessels for the Sacred Flame. These rare individuals hold the power to channel its light in the earthly realm to work divine magic. As clerics of the Sacred Flame, they become enlightened healers, custodians of truth and knowledge, or fiery beacons of light. However, not every cleric of the Sacred Flame becomes a Flamekeeper or participates in the organization and politics of the religion.

Monks of the Sacred Flame

Many monasteries have been erected throughout the continent, often close to holy sites, or places of religious importance. Monks who tend to these shrines and monasteries have meditated on the Sacred Flame, acquiring the ability to channel limited divine powers through their body and mind. Although not outright divine spellcasters, the traditions of monks of the Sacred Flame date back to the Arcane Empire, when devoted worshipers who channeled the Flame through martial practice fought against the sorcerer-kings.

Paladins of the Sacred Flame

Legend claims Saint Tarna was the first paladin. These warriors hold deep reverence amongst the faithful, as only truly virtuous souls can wield the Sacred Flame as she once did. Paladins of the Sacred Flame swear sacred oaths of devotion, redemption, and vigilance. Inspired by Saint Tarna’s example, many join knightly orders ordained for righteous purposes and relinquish any noble titles or land claims. Such companies of holy warriors and their martial retainers embark on quests and crusades to destroy supernatural forces of evil and root out creatures of otherworldly darkness. The most well-known and decorated amongst these militant fellowships are the Knights of the Silver Order.

Other Spellcasters and the Faith

One of Saint Tarna’s foremost disciples was mageborn. Known as the Mystic Theurge, she learned to channel the Divine Light of the Sacred Flame through her arcane magic. The Mystic Theurge wrote The Song of Fire, the holy text of the Sacred Flame which chronicles Tarna’s life and deeds. The fact that the Mystic Theurge was mageborn is greatly suppressed within the faith.

Flame be with you

Founding Date

65

Alternative Names

The Faith, Divine Light